We Were Here
by BigWorldSouth
Summary: His eyes are looking directly into mine. There's so much warmth in them, so much trust. It almost makes me feel safe enough to say the scariest words in the world. "Cyrus, is there something you want to say to me?" Here goes nothing.


Sitting on a bench with nothing but another heart ready to break sounds like the beginning of a bad love song, but it's actually the moment I'm in right now.

There's no one around except for me and T.J. A slight breeze and the cool night air relax me a little, but not much can slow my heart right now. There's too much on my mind.

"Something's been bugging me," I say.

"What's up?"

"Well, if I'm going to represent you in court again, I think I should really know your full name."

He hesitates for a while, looking off into the distance. "It's ok if you don't want to," I say. "I understand."

"It's not that," he says. "I just haven't told anyone before. It's so embarrassing. Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Even if I wanted to. Lawyer-client confidentiality."

He laughs softly. "Alright then. My full name," he says, "is..."

He pauses for a while. "Theodore Jones Kippen."

"Theodore Jones? That's a great name!"

"It's so embarrassing! It makes me sound like an old man in a retirement home."

"You've aged well."

"My secret is blueberry macadamia muffins and plenty of somersaults."

I can't help but laugh. I'm going to miss moments like these.

"There's another thing I want to ask you about. Are you...is there anything you want to tell me?"

"What? Cyrus, what are you talking about?"

"Kira. Is there anything you want to tell me about you and Kira?"

"Yeah, actually, there is."

I knew it. I saw it coming. So why does it hurt so much? He likes Kira. It was obvious. We were never anything more than friends. But none of that fills the pit in my stomach.

"I told her I can't hang out with her anymore," he says.

"I-what?"

"After I saw the way she treated you in the park, I knew I couldn't keep spending time with her. So I told her to go."

Relief doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling now. I have never been so ridiculously happy to be wrong.

"I'm sorry, T.J., I know you had fun with her," I say.

"It's ok. I have more fun with you."

My entire body feels warm.

"And besides, she can come back when she finds her own Cyrus," he says, smiling at the ground. "But now I've got something to ask you about. You looked really upset when we started talking about Kira."

His eyes are looking directly into mine. There's so much warmth in them, so much trust. It almost makes me feel safe enough to say the scariest words in the world.

"Cyrus," he says, "is there something you want to say to me?"

Here goes nothing.

"I was worried that you were starting to like Kira as more than just a friend. I was worried that you might want to be in a relationship with her."

"Why would that make you worried?"

I'm staring at my shoes, almost like they'll understand me, even if he doesn't. "Because if you liked her, then you never really liked me."

"Cyrus-"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that. I was probably just deluding myself."

"Cyrus, look at me."

His face is warm and serious at the same time. His lips want to smile, but the words going through them are too important for that.

"Ever since the day I met you I've been stealing little moments alone with you, just to hear the sound of your voice. Ever since the first day we spent time together I've been finding reasons to be with you again, because every time I am, I want to be just a little bit more. The more I know about you, the more I want to know. All the little things you do, the way you smile, the sound of your laugh, just make me wish that I could spend all of my time with you. I like you, Cyrus. And it would mean the world to me if you liked me, too."

"Then I've only got one thing left to say. Will you, Theodore Jones Kippen, be my boyfriend?"

"Nothing would make me happier."

* * *

Afterword:

If they don't kiss tonight, I'm taking a loaf of challa bread and slapping someone into a new spiritual plane.

In other news, part of me wanted to make T.J. stand for Thomas Jefferson, for so many reasons, but that didn't seem like something he would realistically hide. It would be awesome though (anyone remember Cyrus' president of choice for Mount Rushmore?).


End file.
